The Myth of Legal Names

Episode 075 • 44 min

What’s in a name? Turns out, legally, not a whole lot!

Photo by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash

What role does a name play in our identity? In this week’s episode, we learn about the myth of legal names. Sam is joined by Remy Green, Civil Rights Lawyer, Teacher, and Founding Partner at Cohen&Green, where they specialize in civil rights, defamation, free speech, consumer rights, and intellectual property litigation. Remy shares how they first learned about the myth of legal names and the role that names play in identity. Later on in the show, they are joined by Cori Alonso-Yoder, a visiting faculty member at Howard Law School. Together they discuss a brief history of the common law, the design behind the law of name change, and how naming oneself can serve as an act of liberation.

Weekly Dose of Good Design

• Sam: Green Toys
• Remy: Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 4D

Links

• Law Review: Rutgers University Law Review Paper
• Resource: “There is No Such Thing As a ‘Legal Name’: A Strange, Shared Delusion”
• Resource: “Making a Name for Themselves”